Pirate Lord Read online

  Roselyn smiled to herself. They were not what you’d call a normal family, dysfunctional was the first word that sprung to mind. But the love they had for each other, the furious protectiveness that Lily obviously felt for those she cared about, was clear as day. The assassin didn’t notice Eli smile as he watched her.

  ~

  Lily threw herself onto the bed. She was exhausted. After sparring with the kids, Kilo had demanded a spin in the circle, and then Daley had decided he wanted a go. She’d been glad to accept. It was good to keep in practice and, she admitted, she liked the opportunity to show off. Roselyn had surprised her by not joining in at any point. She’d have thought Roselyn would have jumped at the chance to spar, but not so. Lily hadn’t pushed her, and Tristan had given up after asking a couple of times. Apparently she was content, so they left her to it. Lily had seen the way she watched them though, the assessing look in her eye. Even if she wasn’t sparring, she was still working. The assassin evaluating potential threats. Similar to Lily’s habit of people watching. She grinned.

  “What are you smiling at?”

  “Oh, nothing. You didn’t feel like joining in today?”

  “I don’t need practice.” Roselyn titled her head, “I wasn’t expecting you to actually fight with them, the twins. You weren’t playing with them.”

  “Tristan plays with them. I prefer to teach them that not everyone will be aiming swords at them for their amusement. The real world is harsher than that.”

  “What were your parents like?”

  “My mother died when I was small. She was gentle. She was the only one who seemed to keep the voice within me at bay. It left me alone when she was near.”

  “It tormented you even then?”

  “It is not a torment. I’m used to it now. It is just another part of myself. It has saved my life more than once, and it has saved those I love. For that I am grateful to it, whatever it is. I know it is not normal, and I don’t know what it makes me. But I am thankful to be able to live like this, that I was able to stay with Tristan, if just because I was willing to kill.”

  “And your father?”

  “He was a fisherman. He died the same day as my mother, although something remained. That man was not my father though.”

  “There you go again with the riddles.”

  Lily laughed a little, but didn’t say any more about her father. It was the one thing she didn’t like to speak about. It would take her a little time before she would be able to tell Roselyn. But she felt like she would tell her, one day. The thought made her oddly happy. She considered Roselyn a friend, and hoped that she’d be able to continue to do so, although it wouldn’t be too long before they got back to the Island, back to Merek. Lily couldn’t help but wonder what Roselyn would do then. When she’d first arrived on the ship there was no question, she’d go back to him…but now, Lily was not so sure. She expected Roselyn felt the same.

  ~

  She opened her eyes, scowling at the storm before her. It was small and avoidable, the dark clouds spiralling over the churning ocean, but rather than avoiding it, Lily was steering the ship right for it. Part of her mind was prodding at her, telling her she really should change course, but she didn’t listen. There was no one else on deck, and Saff was nowhere to be seen. The waters changed from a topaz blue to a dirty green, white crests marking the waves. The ship began to rock, buffeted around by the sudden winds, then a whirlpool opened up, and the ship was dragged into its pull. It circled the rim a couple of times, before it was hauled down into the centre. The ship hit the ocean floor and shattered into pieces. Lily was left standing at the bottom, the fragments of broken ship floating above her, as if frozen in time. The roaring of the waves was muted down here, her ears buzzed. Lily blinked, and looked back down. She was there. The one she’d seen at Crag Rock, the one who’d been haunting her for months.

  “You again?”

  Lily had never learnt her name, she only knew her as the wise woman, a seer she’d met at the Village of Stilts. It seemed like centuries ago. She’d been the one who’d told her to release her inner demon, to accept what she was. She’d been the one who told her how to save Tristan’s life, by making sure that the right pirate captains died. She hadn’t changed, hadn’t aged, but then this was a dream, so she was just her imagination, right?

  “I’m not a figment of your imagination.”

  Well that ruled out that theory. “Get out of my head.”

  “You called me here.”

  “Look, I did what you told me, I released my inner demon or whatever.”

  “Did you? For a smart girl you're rather selfish.”

  “What?”

  “The prophecy I gave you – One captain will become two and then three captains must die. You knew if three didn’t die then Tristan would be killed, yet it never once crossed your mind to kill yourself. You were a captain, you would have made up the tally, and then Tristan would have been safe. But you didn’t turn your own blade upon yourself. It didn’t even occur to you to do so. Throughout your miserable life, you have had plenty of opportunities to end it, to escape – so why not? Why keep going Lily, when everything is being taken away from you once more? Your sons, your home, your freedom?”

  “You're wrong that I didn’t think about it back then. Of course I knew that was a possibility. But I won't do that, ever.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I want to see how it ends.”

  “It ends with you in the palm of Merek’s hand. Or…” Lily bit back her horror as the old crone morphed into a figure she knew very well. Her own eyes looked back at her, but they were colder, absent of all feeling. Her hair was longer, brighter red where Lily’s own was a dull auburn. Skin paler and flawless. Tigerlily grinned. She held her hands out, and Lily wasn’t surprised to see them dripping with blood. No scars circled her wrists. Lily took a step back.

  “I can’t do that.”

  The mockery of herself spoke. “You’re so cruel Lily. Let me out, let me play. I’ll sort out everything.”

  Lily braced herself, stared into those heartless eyes. “Shackling myself to a throne would be worse.”

  Tigerlily shrugged, licked some of the blood from her finger. “So sign his contract, keep him happy.”

  “At the sacrifice of my happiness, of the way I live?”

  “You keep contradicting yourself – do you realise that? You have to make a choice one way or the other. The throne, or Merek’s contract.” She smiled cruelly, “But I said nothing about changing the way you live. We can keep having fun at his expense. Having his protection would give a certain amount of sway to the name of the Wolves. And you can’t tell me you’re not tempted by the power.”

  “I don’t listen to you.”

  The wise woman grinned, back in her own body, Tigerlily gone, for now. “Ignore me if you want. But keep Irena out of it. She’ll need her freedom when the time comes. She cannot be one of Merek’s pawns if she is to fulfil her destiny.”

  “Oh my god, there you go again about destiny. You know what, just piss off already, leave me and my family alone.” Lily laughed to herself, looking round at the sea surrounding her. Huge dark shapes writhed in the depths of the water. “This is just a dream, a nightmare, I don’t even know why I’m listening to you…WAKE UP! I’ve really lost it now, I’m crazy, I’m mad!”

  “Real or not isn’t your concern right now. Protect the one with hair the colour of fire. She is the future.”

  Lily woke up with a gasp. She felt as if something had been sitting on her, crushing her lungs. She sat up and panted, her hand flying to her chest. It took her a few moments before she felt a little more at ease. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow, and glanced at Roselyn. The assassin was still sound asleep.

  It had just been a dream. It must have been. But for some reason she did feel a little better. She felt stronger, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Lily thought over what the wise woman had said…if she was to take it at fa
ce value, a lot of it made sense. Jon and Kris could have a better future from the assassins than any they’d gain by becoming pirates. As for Irena, Lily would have to think more on that. If they were better off agreeing to Merek’s terms, but remaining semi-feral, then perhaps there was a way to keep Irena separate, to give her the freedom that they’d already lost for themselves. Irena should have that at least, a chance.

  Chapter 13

  An old friend

  Lily narrowed her eyes at the oncoming ship. “Who’s that?”

  Beside her Tristan studied it through the eyeglass, “I’m not sure.” He muttered.

  It was rare for Tristan to not be able to identify a ship. It was definitely pirate, the size and plain style said that much. No merchant would sail on a ship like that. Lily couldn’t make out the flag that flew at its mast. All of their comrades flew a snarling wolf in the corner of their banners – an homage to the wolf that leapt on their own flag. The Shadow may have sunk but both Tristan and Tigerlily had insisted they keep the same flag for Hunter. They’d had it made up in town by a seamstress. It was a ghost of the original in Lily’s opinion – Mrs Beets had made the last one. The next time they went to Crescent Bay her friend’s shop would certainly be the first place she would head.

  So this oncoming ship was not one of theirs, but that did not necessarily mean it was an enemy. The hull was dark mahogany, the sails a terracotta colour, their flag was red but still too far away to identify any sort of symbol. Instead of a figurehead, the hull had been covered with plates of metal which caught the light. It was a distinctive enough ship that you’d remember it if you’d seen it before.

  “Do we prepare for an attack?”

  Tristan clenched his jaw, still staring at the ship. It was almost upon them. If they were to prepare to fight they’d need to do it now.

  Her heart pounded, the adrenaline already starting in anticipation, “Tristan.”

  “No, it’s okay – they’re flying a white flag – they want a parlay.”

  “We’re supposed to be rounding up our armada, we don’t have time to chat.”

  Tristan shrugged, slipping off the balustrade with a sigh, “Well let’s see what they want.”

  They were in the middle of the ocean, no handy islands to land upon to speak, and the water was too rough here for the paddle boats. They were forced to draw up alongside the strange ship. It bore no name on the hull, and their flag was just a blank rectangle of red – no insignia, no symbol to identify them by. Lily didn’t like this. She didn’t like it one bit. She kept the twins and Irena in the meet room, Arthur watching over them. At her back stood Eli and Jim, at Tristan’s Chop and Stig. They waited at the port balustrade.

  The boards of each ship’s sides grated against each other, creaking and squeaking in protest. Ropes flew out from both sides to tether the ships together for this momentary parlay. Lily scanned the faces of the crew, mostly Westerners, a few other nations dotted about here and there. She had a good memory for faces, but none of the people were familiar to her, not even the man who now stood opposite them, ready to greet them. He smiled warmly, reaching into his pocket and drawing out a large pistol. Lily’s heart plummeted down to her stomach, but then he tipped the bullets out and dropped it to the floor. His sword belt followed. Beside her, his face steely, Tristan did the same. It was customary to disarm yourself before parlay – to show good feeling. Lily reluctantly untied the buckle of her sheath, and thumbed out all six of her knifes. Her twin pistols followed. Her hand hovered over her thigh, where the first of her concealed daggers was, and then clenched into a fist.

  “Tigerlily.”

  She recognised the warning tone in Tristan’s voice, and grumbled as she pulled out the blades tied at each thigh, slamming her left boot into the ground to release her third concealed blade.

  Honestly, it wasn’t like he was some angel – he’d gone into parlays armed before. Perhaps he wasn’t keen to give the Pirate Lord any more ammo on them. She supposed that was wise. Tristan turned back to the stranger before them –must be the captain of whatever ship this was. She bit her tongue to prevent her from waggling it at Tristan.

  “Captain Wolf, Captain Tigerlily.” He was a Westerner, the mark on his cheekbone betrayed that much. His skin was tanned darker from the sun, his forehead puckered from weathering. A seasoned pirate by the looks of him. His dark hair was cropped almost to the scalp on the sides of his head, left longer at the top and secured in a bun at the back of his head. Lily had seen a similar style before on Westerners. It was not a fashion she particularly cared for, but it kind of suited this man. He was of an age to her and Tristan, at a guess. His short beard was trimmed and obviously looked after, the lines sharp and defined. His dark brown jacket and tan shirt were nothing special, marred with age and wear and tear, and his navy trousers had a rip in one of the knees. The scruffiness of his clothes did not match the careful attention he clearly paid to his facial hair. He inclined his head a fraction, his bottle green eyes lingering on Lily’s.

  Tristan returned the gesture, but Lily just folded her arms across her chest, tilting her head higher. Her husband narrowed his eyes, but she knew that flicker of amusement. He knew better than to berate her for her stubbornness. Tristan cleared his throat, “I fear we are at a disadvantage, you know us but we don’t know you.”

  “My apologies, how rude of me – I am Padraig. First mate of this ship, The Selkie.”

  “I confess I have not heard of you before.”

  Lily rolled her eyes, Tristan had missed the most interesting thing Padraig had said, or he was still trying to be extra polite – parlays were not easy between pirates, additional manners and pretty words always seemed to be used. In her opinion they just got in the way. She unfolded her arms, planting a hand on each of her hips, “You say you’re the first mate – who is the captain?”

  “Ah – now he I understand you may have heard of. Here he comes now.”

  Lily’s attention flicked over to the man who approached. Like Padraig he was a typical Westerner. His hair was dark, he had a short beard that covered his jaw, green eyes, a tattoo across his cheekbone, the swirling patterns accentuating the sharp line of his jaw, and somehow so familiar. Lily’s eyes widened.

  Tristan beamed, his dark eyes sparking. Lily hadn’t seen him smile like that in a long time. “Well oh well, Marco, you have surprised us.”

  Marco’s gave them both a fleeting smile. He always had been a moody git. “Tristan, flower. Good to see you again.”

  Tristan looked him up and down. Lily wondered whether he saw the same things she did, the cut of Marco’s coat, the slight whiff of finery that most captains seemed unable to resist, herself included. He was different in so many ways, mainly the way he held himself. He seemed taller. “Captain?”

  Marco adjusted the collar of his jacket, and tipped his tricorn hat, “For my sins – yes, I’ve recently come into ownership of this vessel and its crew. I won’t tell you how right now. Firstly, what are you doing in these waters – and what has happened to The Shadow?”

  Their reluctance at revealing themselves was now perfectly clear – Marco had known the flag, but not the vessel. He might have thought they’d been overthrown, that someone else had claimed their flag for their own. He’d wanted to see for himself, and when he’d realised it was them after all, he’d decided to have his own little game. That was like Marco all over.

  Tristan chuckled. “It’s rather a long story.”

  “Then lets catch up – I think you’ll agree we can do away with this whole parlay pretence. You’re both welcome to come aboard, or I’ll step over if you’d rather not. I leave it in your hands.”

  Tristan nodded his head sharply, and held out his arm, “Get over here.”

  Marco grinned and took all but one step onto Hunter’s deck before Lily grabbed him in an embrace, “Oh I’ve missed you, you grumpy bastard!”

  He chuckled into her shoulder. “I missed you too flower.”

  She relea
sed him and Tristan patted him on the shoulder warmly. Lily rolled her eyes yet again.

  Marco’s green eyes darted back to her, “Okay, where’s the rum – and do you by any chance still have my swords?”

  The westerner stopped short as he caught sight of Roselyn. His eyes widened, before he composed his expression and sauntered over to her. For a man who was unarmed he had far too much confidence approaching the assassin. Lily was almost tempted to step in. But it would be far more interesting to watch first.

  “Roselyn.”

  She nodded, her expression as stern as his. “Marco.”

  Now that she was seeing them in close quarters Lily could see that their cheekbone tattoos were actually quite different. The lines on Roselyn’s one were thinner, the angles of the curves softer. She’d noticed this before – every Westerner seemed to have a tattoo that differentiated itself from others in some way. Though similar, the curves would never be quite the same, their pattern as unique as the individual they marked. But you had to look close to notice, to not just assume they were all identical. The only two completely matching tattoos she’d seen had been Marco and Milo’s marks. As twins, they’d shared the same pattern. Now however, there was just Marco. And the daggers he was giving Roselyn would have pierced skin, though his lips were parted in a strange way.

  Lily looked from one to the other, trying to decide whether Marco was about to kill Roselyn or kiss her. “You two know each other?”

  Marco allowed a grin to escape his lips, acknowledging Lily’s question with a nod, though his piercing gaze didn’t leave Roselyn’s face. “Our paths have crossed before. How’s life, still enjoying being the Pirate Lord’s pet?”

  Roselyn narrowed her eyes, “Indeed.”

  “Good.”

  “When you’ve quite finished circling each other.” Eli droned.

  As usual, Lily wasn’t quite sure where he’d appeared from, she’d thought he was still at her back, but there he was, at Roselyn’s shoulder.